Lost Lost Weekend
On the cancellation of the Watermelon Sessions event by Lost Weekend
Here, I speak for myself and not on behalf of the Watermelon Sessions group, for which I did the art and helped promote it. The group will publish a statement soon. This is my response to Lost Weekend’s swift statement on their cancellation of the event planned for February 15:
I am sad and disappointed but not surprised. This cancellation follows the disturbing pattern in Germany, particularly in Munich, of repression and silencing of events showing solidarity with Palestine in particular. The TUM recently entrapped the students to intimidate them regarding discussions of the collaborations of the university with the apartheid state of Israel and the recent cancellation, by the LMU, of the event with Francesca Albanese, the United Nations Special Rapporteur on the Occupied Palestinian Territories. Now it’s the time for the cancellation of a cultural event after outrageous, violent threats by far-right Zionist bullies.
From what I can gather, Lost Weekend quickly released a preemptive damage control statement shortly after communicating with the Watermelon Sessions group about the event’s cancellation and before anyone replied to their cancellation email.
Lost Weekend argued that they suddenly realised the event would have a “political stance.” This can’t be genuine since the pitch and promotion for the event clearly stated that it was “a celebration of life, music, art and international solidarity” and “a charity event for Congo, Palestine and Sudan,” places that are currently suffering the most from exploitation and disregard by countries like Germany.
Lost Weekend put it differently in their email to the group: (they)“didn’t realise how political the event would be”. Right: as if international solidarity, peace, and love were not politics, everything is politics, and quiet conformism is politics, too.
That didn’t make any sense, but Lost Weekend’s email to the group then makes it crystal clear: they had already received “some severe verbal attacks online and feared for the safety of our guests, employees, and artists.”
Interestingly, they don’t mention who attacked them. In the public statement, they also mention “hate speech and harassment,” also not specifying by whom and with what content. Guess who, huh?!
I wonder why Lost Weekend wouldn’t report whoever threatened them to the police instead of cancelling the event? This is pure repression and intimidation.
Lost Weekend also mentions wanting dialogue, yet they unilaterally cancelled the event. They even deactivated the comments on its statement post. They want “a safe, inclusive space for discussion” (of non-political topics, of course) and to plan events that reflect their values of “inclusivity and respect.” Palestine is not included, of course.
It’s outrageous to see universities and cultural venues around so-called democratic Germany caving into intimidation and attacks by far-right Zionist bullies for hosting events that call for equal human rights for all and solidarity with the oppressed. I’d instead encourage everyone to resist and not so easily give in to this repression; otherwise, we are encouraging those attackers, and the situation will get worse!
A statement by the Watermelon Sessions group will follow soon with info about the event’s future. I can advance that we won’t give up. Stay tuned at Watermelon Sessions.
Keep pushing on.